Dispenser for coating a moving sheet



.3 460 513 g- 1 96 WILHELM HESSELMANN ALSO KNQWN I A5 WILLY HESSELMANN ETAL DISPENSER FOR COATING A MOVING SHEET Filed Aug. 25, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A 2, 1969 WILHELM HESSELMANN ALSO KNOWN AS WILLY HESSELMANN r-rrm.

DISPENSER FOR COATING A MOVING SHEET Filed Aug. 23, 1966 r 2 Sheets-Sh6at a United States Patent Office 3,460,513 Patented Aug. 12, 1969 US. Cl. 118-323 6 Claims ABSTRACT on THE DISCLOSURE Liquid dispenser of the general type disclosed in US. Patent No. 3,319,603 but with a movably supported applicator body whose horizontal feed tube, apertured for the discharge of the liquid, is connected at one end to a liquid supply and at its other end to a roller mounted thereon with adjustable eccentricity to establish a selectively variable distance between the applicator outlet and a sheet to which the liquid is to be applied.

Our present invention relates to a dispenser for depositing viscous fluids, e.g. glue and other liquid. adhesives, onto a strip of paper or other sheet material moving continuously or intermittentlymver a bearing surface.

A dispenser of the general type here considered, e.g. as described in copending application Ser. No. 319,346 filed Oct. 28, 1963 by Willy Hesselman, now Patent No. 3,319,603, has a hollow body provided with a bottom aperture through which the adhesive or other fluid can be discharged. The aperture can be selectively opened and closed by a suitable shutter, preferably by relative rotation between the hollow body and a surrounding flexible and tensioned metal foil, also having a discharge opening, in which this body is cradled. The hollow body and its enveloping metal foil constitute an applicator which, in past instances, has been mounted on a fixed support above the bearing surface for the moving sheet material in order that the aligned discharge openings of the body and the foil should lie at a constant elevation above the bearing surface to insure uniform distribution of the out-flowing fluid.

Since the spacing between the dispenser outletandthe receiving sheet surface must be quite small, even minor irregularities of the bearing surface (as where the latter is represented by the periphery of a rotating cylinder) and/or variations in sheet thickness will result in relatively large changes of the clearance between the outlet and the sheet, this in turn impairing the uniformity of the fluid flow. Even if means are provided to enable the adjustment of the dispenser outlet relatively to its support, such adjustment cannot be performed instantly and automatically in response to small variations in the level of the sheet surface.

It is, therefore, the general object of our invention to provide means for automatically maintaining a constant elevation of a dispenser outlet above the surface of a sheet moving relatively thereto.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide means for enabling manual adjustment of the spacing which is to be automatically maintained.

These objects are realized, in accordance with our present invention, by the provision of a dispenser of the general character set forth above whose support, however, 'permits at least a limited vertical motion of the applicator body above the bearing surface for the work sheet. This applicator body has secured to it a levelcontrol device which includes an element projecting downwardly beyond the discharge aperture for engagement with the work sheet at a point lying substantially on a line with the dispenser outlet transverse: to the direction of sheet motion.

Advantageously, pursuant to another feature of our invention, the sheet-contacting element of the level-control device is a roller rotatably journaled on the applicator body.Various means more fully described hereinafter may be employed for manually raising or lowering the roller axis with reference to the dispenser outlet in order to adjust the distance between this outlet and the sheet. One sucharrangement, preferred for its simplicity, includes the provision of a roller-supporting shaft eccentrically connected with a member which can be manually rotated about a generally horizontal axis and locked in a selected angular position during use of the dispenser. Specifically, this member may be a tubular boss of a rotatable knob, inserted between the roller and its shaft which traverses an eccentric bore of the boss, or a rotatable holder to which the roller shaft is eccentrically attached in the manner of a crank. Alternatively, different rollers of staggered diameters may be interchangeably provided for selective mounting on the applicator body. The roller, or other sheet contacting element, may be duplicated on opposite sides of the applicator body or may be mounted on only one side thereof it the position of the dispenser is sufiiciently stabilized bythe nature of its support.

' The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front-elevational view of a dispenser em- !bodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of the dispenser of FIG. 1, taken partly in section on the line IIII thereof;

FIG. 3 is a detail view, also partly in section, on the line III-III of FIG. 1; p

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IVIV of FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIG. 1 (partly broken away), showing modifications of the dispenser illustrated in FIGS. 14. Y

The dispenser shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises an applicator 1 with a hollow body 2, of cylindrical configuration, supported between sidewalls 21, 22 of ayoke 20 with. freedom of at least limited rotatability about a horizontal axis. Body 2 is cradled in a metallic foil 12, supported under tension onthe yoke 20, and is provided with a bottom aperture 8 which registers with a hole 23 in foil 12 when the dispenser is in use. A tubular stem 5, supporting the cylindrical body 2 to define therewith an annular fluid chamber, is connected at one end with a flexible supply conduit 3 through which liquid adhesive or other working fluid is delivered to the interior of body 2 via peripheral openings 4 in stem 5. The outlet 8, 23 can be closed by relative rotation of cylinder 2 and foil 12 to disalign their respective discharge apertures, e.g. via a knob 15 connected through a linkage 14 with a cylinder 2, to rotate it by a small angle about its axis as indicated by the arrow 13 in FIG. 2.

The yoke 20 is integral with a supporting arm 9 on which it is cantilevered for free swinging in a vertical plane, the other end of arm 9 being journaled on a shaft 24 which is carried by a stationary post 29. A sheet 11, e.g. of paper, is to be continuously coated over a portion of its width with fluid issuing from outlet 8, 23, this-sheet moving in the' 'direction of arrow 25 (FIG. 2) over a bearing surface 10 which could be a separate cylinder but which has been shown, by way of example, as another turn of the same sheet material coiled in a roll around a rotatable supporting core 26. As the sheet 11 moves past the dispenser, the diameter of the roll progressively decreases so that the distance 16 between outlet opening 23 and sheet 11 would increase if means were not provided to maintain this distance constant by a compensatory lowering of the applicator. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, the closed end of stem 5 opposite feed conduit 3 carries a horizontal shaft 17 eccentrically surrounded by a boss 6 of a manually rotatable knob 18. A roller 7, of a diameter slightly exceeding that of the cylindrical body 2, is journaled on boss 6 and rests with its nadir on the upper surface of sheet 11. Since the point of contact of roller 7 with sheet 11 "is in line with the outlet 8, 23, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the sheet motion 25, the applicator 1 will move vertically under its own weight to maintain a constant separation 16 between its outlet and the sheet surface. Naturally, the supporting arm 9 should be long enough to insure a nearly linear motion of the applicator within the range contemplated.

Setscrews 19 on knob 18 normally immobilize this knob and its boss 6 with reference to shaft 17 so that the axis of rotation of roller 7 will not change during operation. Whenever it is desired to vary the spacing 16, screws 19 are loosened and knob 18 is rotated on shaft 17 to the extent necessary. This result can also be obtained, in a somewhat more cumbersome way, by substituting rollers of different diameters for the roller 7 shown.

In FIG. 5 we have illustrated a modified arrangement wherein a roller 7 is journalled on a shaft 17 forming a crank-like extension of the tubular supporting stem 5'. A setscrew 19' serves to immobilize the rod 5, 7' in a selected angular position. Conduit 3 should, of course, be sufficiently flexible to permit such limited rotation of stem 5' or should be connected thereto by a fluidtight coupling allowing for relative rotation.

In FIG. 6, finally, we show the applicator 1 resting on a pair of rollers 7" which are journaled on opposite ends of stem 5" and are fitted with inflatable tires 27 having nipples 28. A change in air pressure within the tires 27 willserve, within limits, to vary the effective radius of these rollers.

It will be apparent that, as illustrated for the roller 7" in FIG. 6, the rollers 7 and 7' of the other embodiments could also be duplicated on opposite sides of the applicator. It will also be understood that in FIG. 5, where the tubular stem 5 is rotatable for purposes of clearance adjustment, this stem must be free to rotate with reference to the applicator body 2 whereas in the What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for depositing fluids on a sheet movable over a bearing surface, comprising:

an applicator with a hollow body having a bottom aperture, said body being provided with a perforated feed tube passing substantially horizontally therethrough, said tube having a closed end formed as an extension projecting laterally from said body; supply means including said tube for delivering a fluid to said body for discharge through said aperture; shutter means for selectively opening and closing said aperture;

support means holding said applicator above said bearing surface with at least limited vertical mobility relative thereto;

and a downwardly projecting element adjustably mounted on said extension for contact with a sheet moving over said bearing surface, thereby establishing a selectively variable spacing between said aperture and said sheet.

2. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said supply means includes a conduit and said tube has an extremity opposite said closed end connected with said conduit.

3. A dispenseras defined in claim 1 wherein said element is a roller provided with a mounting member supporting said roller on said extension with adjustable eccentricity, further comprising locking means for immobilizing said member in a selected position.

4. A dispenser as defined in claim 3 wherein said member comprises a rotatable knob with a tubular boss axially traversing said roller, said boss having an eccentric bore traversed by said extension.

5. A dispenser as defined in claim 4 wherein said extension is fixedly positioned on said body, said locking means including at least one setscrew for immobilizing said knob with reference to said extension.

6. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said shutter means comprises a foil Spanning the underside of said body and having an outlet opening alignable with said aperture, and means for relatively displacing said body and said foil.

References Gited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,727,524 9/1929 Spencer 15354 X 1,851,538 3/1932 Day et al. 118-410 X 2,796,847 6/ 1957 Guggenheim 1184ll 3,168,021 2/1965 Levene 1184l1 X 3,256,854 6/1966 Fleming 118103 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,163,650 2/ 1964 Germany.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner JOHN P. MCINTOSH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 118--325 

